Tuesday, November 5, 2013

America’s Top Gods

Americans
are fundamentally polytheists, worshiping at the shrines of many gods.

Many
who call themselves Christians
are as polytheistic as Hindus. We of course have different names for our gods
of prosperity, fertility,
good luck, or whatever.

Money
and success have often been thought of as America’s gods. “God is gold,” “the
Almighty Dollar,” and all that. But things have changed over the years. Money
has been demoted to a somewhat lesser deity, though still devoutly worshiped.

America’s Top Gods

Here
are North America’s seven most popular gods. By “god” I mean something
(anything) in our life that commands more loyalty, dedication, and devotion
than the one true Living God. Not necessarily the highest loyalty, since
many of us are functional polytheists, whatever we claim. But sincere and
central devotion.

The
question then becomes: What is your or my functional pantheon?

From
the biblical perspective, of course, such “gods” are really idols. Idols which
the Bible both denounces and mocks.

America’s
gods today, in inverse order:

7. National Security

Yes,
for some people this is the One High God (“My Country, Right or Wrong”). It is
a much higher god since the 9/11 terrorists attacks and the passage of the
(idolatrous? blasphemous?) Patriot Act. Anything done in the name of national
security, or now by the NSA, is by definition justified, since the end
justifies the means.

National
Security in the U.S. is the new name of the old god of Nationalism.

But
for many in the U.S., this is not the High God. It is one among many, and it
nudges out the other gods only in times of clear threat and crisis.

This
is one of the gods, so-called, that the Bible denounces. Read Ezekiel.

6. Money, Riches, Wealth

Still
a much-adored and sought-after god in the United States. The pursuit of wealth
was one of the two founding pillars of the United States, and of course this is
still in place. But it is now so taken for granted—so unquestioned—that the
worship of this god is a little less prominent.

This
god is also called Mammon, which Jesus referred to in Matthew 6:24 when he
said, “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” (Was he wrong?)

The
rise of technology has birthed other gods, however, so Money is a bit less
adored than in times past.

5. Guns

The
worship of guns in the U.S. is fully obvious and is well known globally—though
quite puzzling to many folks in other countries, including Canada. A few months
ago The Economist magazine from the UK ran a cartoon depicting a church
service which was actually a worship-of-guns service in America.

How
America’s gun culture developed is well documented in Michael Bellesiles, Arming
America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture (2000) and other sources.

All
it took to turn fascination with guns (primarily by males) into a religion was
linking it up with the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment.

Today
all the marks of religion are evident when one either confronts a gun devotee
or questions anything about this devotion. (For clarity: I am not speaking about
legitimate limited uses of firearms but the deification of the gun.)

I
know many folks would rank this idolatry higher, closer to the top. For many
Americans it is indeed Top God. But the number devotees is a actually minority
of the total population, so I rank it here.

4. The Automobile

This
beautiful and more and more glitzy and gadgety god has been around now for over
a century. Historians talk about “America’s love affair with the automobile.”
The automobile quickly became a symbol of money, sex, and power, with a clear
hierarchy identifiable by model and price. A divider of the haves from the
have-nots.

When
the automobile moves from being a means of transportation to something else,
something more, a hierarchical status symbol, deification is complete. The
marks of worship, from temples to worship rallies to lavish offerings, become
obvious. Our casual obliviousness to the sacrifice of thousands of lives on our
highways is another sign (32,000 last year—adult and child sacrifice).

But
we’re not yet at the top.

3. Fame and Celebrity

Celebrity
has been around for a long time—going back at least to Absalom, the Old
Testament’s most famous celebrity, with his clever charm and his beautiful
black flowing hair.

But
modern technology—printing of course, but especially movies, radio, TV, and now
the Internet—have given the Castor-and-Pollux god of Fame-and-Celebrity new
prominence.

So
now fame and celebrity are largely unquestioned, even among Christians. Being
famous is always better than not being, and becoming a celebrity is always
something to be applauded. Therefore aspired to.

In
this value system, seeking obscurity is dumb. Becoming “less so that others may
become more” is irrational, suspect, and likely a sign of mental derangement.

Many
parents will sacrifice virtually anything for the chance for their child
to become famous—whether in entertainment, sports, or even academia. (Ever seen
a child beauty pageant?)

Note
that the high god here is not money, but rather fame-and-celebrity.

2. Collegiate Sports

Collegiate
sports is of course a way to achieve fame, celebrity, and wealth—at least
potentially.

Compare
the salaries and perks of university head coaches and athletic directors with
those of presidents and deans, as a first indicator of this idolatry. Look at
sports and media budgets.

But
there are many other signs. Collegiate sports have become a whole elaborate
high-tech profit-making system—a business, really—with big winners and many
losers.

From
the outside looking in, the idolatry is obvious. From the inside, even to raise
the question

appears extreme, unjustified, irrational.

1. Professional Sports

This
is America’s Top God at the moment. Not fifty years ago, but now. The growing
popularity of and devotion to this god has happened so gradually that millions
have not noticed the seduction. Instead what they see is high-tech glitz
powered by advertising mega-dollars.

Professional
sports have it all: Money, fame, sex, technology, and immense and growing
economic clout.

It
is professional sports, of course, that powers collegiate sports—to the point
where the line between “professional” and “amateur” is often a joke.

College
sports power high school sports—which power grade school sports. A huge,
interlocking system, a hierarchy.

Result:
today one of the most obscene, disturbing scenes on TV or the Internet or on a
sports field is not is not sex or violence. It is a small boy, barely into
grade school, nearly lost in a football helmet and uniform, being socialized
into a culture and worldview that is artificial, unhealthy, and ultimately
demeaning. Trapped in a uniform and trapped in a deadly culture. It is a
tragedy and a training in idolatry. Actually a form of spiritual formation (or
malformation).

Among
many other things, this form of unrecognized child abuse insulates (literally)
your child from normal, unprogrammed interaction with the natural world of
trees, flowers, birds, rivers, and dirt. God’s good creation.

Tests for Idolatry

Oops!
What’s that sound I hear? Ah, howls of protest! “No, no, no! These things are
not really our gods! You are wrong! We don’t actually worship these
things. We just like them. They’re diversions, entertainment,
leisure-time hobbies. Pastimes. Innocent.”

Really?

Do
I hear the squeal of sacred cows?

Well,
here are five tests for idolatry. So we can decide for ourselves.

1.
The test of time and attention. How much time, devotion, and
unquestioned loyalty do I give to this “diversion”? What about passion and
intensity of devotion and depth of loyalty? How much time and money go into
this adulation, and at the expense of what other things?

2.
The test of the willingness to question and evaluate. Do I ever—and am I
willing to—step back and question my loyalty? To ask where the line is between
interest and worship, and how we know when we cross that line? Especially: to
question our loyalties and dedications by the light of the biblical prophets?

3.
The test of public signs of devotion. Devotees of gods commonly make their
devotion public through their behavior, clothing, and emblems. They give public
displays, advertising where their loyalties lie, so everyone will know, and
there will be no confusion. These often take the form of logos, flags, caps,
T-shirts, and other clothing items.

Over
the past week or month, what loyalties have I publicly advertised?

4.
The test of comparative devotion with other gods or loyalties. For example, loyalty
and devotion to Jesus Christ. If I evaluate my interests, time and money use,
amount and intensity of attention, what comes out on top? What is second,
third, fourth?

Whatever
is on top is your or my functional god, and the others are proof of
polytheism.

5.
The test of ethical effects. What behaviors follow from my worship
(that is, interest, hobby, avocation, relationship, whatever)? Are we ethically
sensitive to the effects of our devotions? Or does my loyalty produce ethical
insensitivity—most especially, insensitivity to the virtues and values of the
Gospel of the kingdom of God.

“Examine
yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you
not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless, indeed, you fail to meet the
test!” (2 Cor. 13.5).

Final Word

Admittedly
the above pantheon ranking is impressionistic and unscientific. Probably it
could be tested by carefully measuring money, time, and media attention. My
intuition is that if the pantheon of gods were so investigated and properly
weighted for variable factors, it would come out confirming, more or less, what
I suggest here.

Any
ranking is of course fuzzy. It is not uncommon for polytheists to have many,
many gods—one for each need or whim or lust or day of the week. Plus, there are
many other potential deities not mentioned here: Pets, pills (for every need),
health, beauty/figure/physique, clothing, jewelry, tools, books, food,
individualism or individual rights, church buildings—whatever we allow to
become or adopt as a god. And of course there’s the original U.S. Trinity of
“Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”—good if properly placed, but
idolatrous if they become objects of unquestioned worship.

Like
all humans, we’re also good at demonizing whomever or whatever we don’t like.

So
we should examine ourselves. In the best-case scenario, if we pass the
examination—that is, if King Jesus emerges as the One True God in our lives by
whose power we renounce all idols—we do well.

If
we do not pass with clear conscience, then some pantheonic reassessment and
probably renunciation is in order.

Yes,
and I recall that Jesus said: “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye,
but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor,
‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. Do not give what is holy
to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them
under foot and turn and maul you” (Mt. 5:3-6).

God
says, “You shall worship no other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous,
is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14). “I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give
to no other, nor my praise to idols” (Isa. 42:8).

“Return
to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 3:7).